Folding umbrella



Jan. 25, 1955 H. HAUPT FOLDING UMBRELLA Filed Jun 10. 1950 Inventor: HANJ' l/A w P1 1-1-0 AME-Y United States Patenti) FOLDING UMBRELLA Hans Haupt, Hilden, Germany Application June 10, 1950, Serial No. 167,405

Claims priority, application Germany August 3, 1949 Claims. Cl. 135-26) The invention relates to a folding umbrella. Folding umbrellas are generally provided with a stick composed of a telescoping upper and lower member and with roof supporting ribs consisting of displaceable sections; these roof rib sections are extended, during the opening of the umbrella by main braces, which are operatively connected with the roof ribs. The main braces are supported by auxiliary braces connected at their inner ends with the umbrella stick or with the roof ribs.

The following great disadvantage has been often experienced with these umbrellas. The roof ribs instead of being outwardly spread from the stick by the braces during the upward movement of the umbrella slide are collapsed; since the main braces are not supported by the auxiliary braces during the first phase of the opening of the umbrella this collapse may happen immediately.

It is a primary object of the invention to prevent a premature transmission of the umbrella opening force onto the roof rib sections.

It is a further object of the invention to retard the action of the braces onto the roof rods during the first stage of their extension.

It is also an object of the invention to impart to the ends of the roof rib forming sections prior to or during their commencing extension a slight resilient counterpressure.

It is accordingly a further object of the invention to insure a satisfactory operation of the roof ribs and braces during the opening of the folding umbrellas and to eliminate mishaps.

With these and additional objects in view, which will become apparent, as this specification proceeds, the invention will now be described in detail and with reference to the accompanying drawing showing several preferred embodiments thereof.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of a part of the umbrella in the closed position,

Fig. 2 is the same side view of the umbrella in the shortened position,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the middle portion of a roof rod,

Fig. 4 is a side view of a structural detail,

Fig. 5 is a partial side view of another embodiment of the invention, the full lines indicating the first stage and the dotted lines the final stage of the opening of the umbrella, and

Fig. 6 is a side view of a constructional detail used in connection with the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 5.

The umbrella stick shown in Figs. 1 to 4 consists of the telescoping members 1 and 2. The upper stick member 1 carries the crown 3. The roof ribs consisting of collapsible and extensible upper and lower sections 8, 9 are pivotally connected with crown 3. A spring catch 4 provided on the stick member 1 holds the umbrella in the opened position.

The upper end of the lower roof rib section 9 is by means of pivot 11, Fig. 3, connected with the upper end of brace 10; the lower end of the brace 10 is connected with main slide 5. An auxiliary brace 13 is pivotally connected at 12 with brace 10; this auxiliary brace 13 is at its upper end pivoted to the auxiliary slide 14. The roof rib sections 8, 9 are guided by sleeves 15, 16, the sleeve 15 being fastened to the lower end of roof rib section 8; the other sleeve 16 carries a pivot 11; roof rib section 8 has an inner cavity and sleeve 16 is displaceable on rib section 8, Figure 3.

In order to improve the roof rib spreading action of the braces 10, 13 a resilient member is provided in conformity with the invention, which curbs the displacement of the roof rib portions 8, 9. This member may be constructed as a wire spring 17, 18, 19, Fig. 4, which is located between the ends of the roof rib portions 8, 9; it acts to resiliently retard the displacement of the roof ribs the end of the roof ribs 9 being slightly bent, see Fig. 3, to form the bent-off end 25.

The invention, therefore, is based on a curbing or retardation of the premature displacement of the roof rib members 8, 9 and spring 17, 18, 19 may, therefore, be defined as a constantly operative means retarding the displacement of the roof ribs; for this purpose the spring may be given a certain amount of pre-tension. It is advisable to make the spring of steel wire or steel band. As shown in the drawing, the spring consists of a resilient two-shank steel wire. The one shank 19 of the spring is located in the inner cavity of roof rib section 8, Fig. 3;

the spring is held with its looped end 18 on shank 17 by a pivot 11, which is attached to the end of rib 9. The end of the shank 19 of the spring, Fig. 4, is slightly inwardly bent and slides along rib 8 during the displacement of the latter. Shank 19 therefore acts as a constantly reactive brake. looped end 18 of the spring shank 17 is bent to form an aperture 20, Fig. 4; in this manner, the looped end 18 may be laterally pushed over pivot 11 or removed from the same.

If all the auxiliary braces 13 are connected with one auxiliary slide 14, which is displaceable on the umbrella stick, all roof ribs 8, 9 will assume equally spread positions and all the rib sections connected with the braces 10 are displaced simultaneously. In this case the retarding spring 17 need only be connected with some of the roof ribs.

Since, however, the braces and the roof ribs in the closed position of the umbrella are parallelly positioned the play always present in the joints permits for a certain difference in the spread positions of the individual roof ribs. Therefore, the roof ribs located beneath the stick, which is generally held in a horizontal position during the opening thereof, may slightly spread from the stick due to their own weight, whereas for this reason the upper ribs will be close to the stick.

It is, therefore, suificient, if one or two roof ribs are provided with retarding springs 17. A reduction of the intensity of the spring action should be reduced as much as possible, which facilitates the opening and closing of the umbrella.

In order to further reduce the retarding effect of spring 17 and to accordingly facilitate the handling of the umbrella the spreading of the roof ribs is simplified by the creation of a certain spreading effect, in the closed position of the umbrella between the auxiliary braces or the roof ribs and the stick or the main braces. The purpose is achieved by the application of a bent 21, Fig. 2, applied to the auxiliary brace 13. The spreading force exerted by the brace 13 is, thereby, modified since the roof rib members during the shortening of the umbrella exert a pressure on the braces 10 whereby the auxiliary braces 13 are slightly bent. In this manner a contemporaneous extension of the stick members 1, 2 and of the roof rib members 8, 9 is produced as the latter are spread from the stick by the brace 13.

With the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the retarding spring 17 need not be provided for every roof rod. The embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is differentiated over those above described in so far as the auxiliary brace 22 is guided with its upper end along the upper rib 8. A wire loop 23, Fig. 6, which embraces the roof rib, serves as a guide; this wire loop takes part in the displacement of the auxiliary brace 22.

The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment and it will be understood that many variations and modifications thereof may be resorted to without departure from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

For the cooperation with pivot 11 the I claim:

.1. .In .aiolding umbrella, .astick composed .of telescopically collapsible upper and lower stick members, a plurality of root ribs pivotally .connected to said stick and composed .of telescopically colapsibe upper and lower members, the upper end portion of said lower rib members being bent towards said stick, a wire spring fastened with its one end to the bent-ofl? portion of said lower rib member and slidingly positioned with its other end in the lower end portion of said upper rib member, said spring thereby exerting a resilient retarding action onto the mutual displacement of the upper and lower roof rib members.

2. Ina folding umbrella, a stick composed of telescopically collapsible upper and lower members, a plurality of roof ribs pivotally connected to said stick and composed of telescopically collapsibe upper and lower members, the upper end portion of said lower rib member being bent towards said stick, a wire spring having two shanks enclosing an acute angle therebetween being with the one shank movably connected with the bent-off portion of said lower rib member and being slidingly positioned with its'other shank along the lower end of said upper rib member said spring thereby exerting a resilient retarding action onto the mutual displacement of the roof rib members.

.end of the .upper .rib ,member being shaped to .form..an

open cavity for the reception therein of a spring shank.

4. In a folding umbrella .according to claim 2 a pivot being secured to the bent portion of the lower rib members the one shank of said spring being loop-shaped at its end to embrace said pivot.

5. In a folding umbrella a stick composed of telescopically collapsible upper and lower .stick members, a plurality of roof ribs pivotally connected to said stick and composed of telescopically collapsible upper and lower rib sections, a wire spring inserted between the mutually contacting ends'o'f said roof rib sections, a bolt fastened to the upper end of the lower rib section, a spring fastened with its one end to said bolt and being with its other end slidably located in the roof rib section having the larger diameter.

ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 929,536 Babbit July 27, 1 909 1,047,450 Sargent ...Dec. 17, 1912 1,856,385 jHaupt May 3, 1932 1,902,363 ,Haupt Mar. 21, 1933 1,902,774 Haupt Mar. 21, 1193.3 

